Tag Archives: zucchini

Five Spice Honey Chicken Stirfry

This is so simple to throw together—please don’t be dismayed by the ingredient list. A little chopping, a little mixing, a little wok-action, and you’ve got a delicious, colorful, fresh meal for the clamoring masses.

A couple words of wisdom that apply to all stirfries:

-Do all your chopping and sauce-mixing beforehand, because once you start up the wok it comes together quickly.

-Always cook over high heat. It’s the way God designed Chinese food. Don’t go against his plan!

-Fry the meat in 2 or more batches, and wait until the oil is hot before putting it in. If you put in too much meat at once, it will crowd the pan and turn into a liquidy bubbly thing that will steam-cook instead of frying. Believe me—that happened my whole first year of stirfrying. I was too lazy, and I should probably issue an official apology to anyone who consumed those tough, colorless pieces of animal flesh.

-Be creative! Any stirfry maker will tell you that it’s extremely easy to switch up the ingredients. You can use this basic marinade with any meat, you can add any sauce (plum sauce, chili sauce, black bean sauce, etc.), and any veggies.

Ingredients

MARINADE

2 TBS soy sauce

2 TBS water

1 tsp rice wine vinegar

1 tsp sugar

2 TBS Shaoxing wine or dry sherry

1 tsp sesame oil

Dash white pepper

SAUCE

3 TBS hoisin sauce (heaping)

1 TBS oyster sauce

1 TBS honey

2 TBS Shaoxing wine or dry sherry

1/3 c chicken stock

2 tsp corn starch

1/4 tsp five spice

2 tsp soy sauce

STIRFRY

2 TBS peanut oil, divided

3 chicken breasts (1.25 lbs)

1/2 tsp five spice, divided

1/4 tsp black pepper, divided

4 tsp honey, divided

1 large white onion

1 TBS diced ginger

4 cloves garlic

1 red pepper

1 yellow squash (summer squash)

1 zucchini

1 bunch green onions

1/2 tsp salt

White rice or noodles, to serve

Start by cutting the chicken into thin strips or small cubes. I went the thin strips route.

Place it in the marinade for 15-20 minutes.

Now, grab your fresh stuff:

Mince your ginger and garlic and set them aside in a little bowl. Dice your veggies and set them aside in another bowl. Mix the sauce and chop your green onions. Everything should be ready before the frying begins.

Here we have (clockwise from top left): a bowl of chopped veggies; a bowl of marinating chicken; the sauce; a ramekin of ginger and garlic; a ramekin of green onions. Aaaah. I love order.

Heat 1 TBS of peanut oil in a wok or very large skillet. When it starts smoking, add half of the chicken (drain with a slotted spoon so the marinade stays behind for the most part). It will spatter–so be ready!

Add 2 tsp of honey, 1/8 tsp black pepper and 1/4 tsp of five spice to the chicken and fry over high heat for about 5 minutes.

The honey will start to caramelize, giving your chicken a lovely dark brown crust.

After 5 minutes, remove. Heat the remaining oil for the rest of the chicken and repeat the process, removing the chicken and setting it aside.

Add your ginger and garlic to the hot wok and fry for no more than 60 seconds, stirring constantly so the garlic doesn’t burn.

Add your veggies and your salt. It’s very important to salt the veggies, because that way the seasoning will adhere before the sauce comes into play. Cook for 4 minutes over high heat, stirring.

Put the chicken back in and add the sauce, cooking for another 2 minutes.

The sauce should thicken nicely. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking. Take off the heat and stir in your green onions.

Serve over rice or noodles.

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Mush

This dish . . . well, I can’t tell you exactly how it came about, but it’s been evolving during our 5 years of marriage into the glorious thing it is today. It could be called “simple stovetop ratatouille” for those of you who might feel guilty serving something called “mush” to your unsuspecting families. This recipe serves 2 very hungry adults—but it’s easy to multiply the quantities.

Ingredients

(2 servings)

1 TBS butter

1 TBS olive oil

2-3 medium zucchini, chopped into cubes

1 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

6-10 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 to 3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 TBS olive oil/butter to fry the eggs

4 eggs

Serve with steamed white rice

Optional: blue cheese crumbles

First, put your rice on—I use my trusty rice cooker. Dice your zucchini, garlic, and tomatoes. Don’t fear the garlic—I like this dish as garlicky as I can get it.

Smash that garlic!

I used to use the flat of my knife to crush the garlic cloves, which almost cost me a severed hand once. Then, I read The Pioneer Woman, and she set me straight. Smash the cloves violently with a can! The papery skins come right off:

 

Heat the olive oil and butter together in a skillet. Once the butter has melted, add your zucchini.

Cook on high for 6-7 minutes, until the zucchini pieces are starting to get golden.

Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add your garlic and halved tomatoes, and lower the heat to medium.

Let it cook away for a while, about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally until it becomes mushy and delicious (but not too liquidy).

Still too liquidy

When you drag the spatula across the pan, it should leave a space instead of immediately filling with liquid.

The "dragging the spatula" test

When the mush is about done, heat some butter or olive oil in another non-stick skillet and add your eggs. We like to do 2 per person, overeasy. If you’re averse to dirtying another pan (as I sometimes am) you can push the veggies to the side of the mush pan, add your butter/oil to the center, and cook your eggs in the center of the mush.

Serve up individual bowls: start with a nice pile of rice, add a layer of veggies, and slap the eggs on top. If you like your food to look pretty, construct a little arrangement like this:

Sans eggs ...

But if you’re like me, that neat little pile will soon become this (don’t be frightened):

.. and with eggs in a mushily delightful pile!

Have a bite, and you'll be enslaved to mush for the rest of your natural days

If you’re a blue cheese addict like I am, some crumbles on top are never amiss.

I swoon over this bowl of delights every time. It’s so good that it’s what I requested my husband to make for my birthday dinner this year. Just don’t skimp on the garlic! If you do, disappointment and despair will pursue you to the end of your days. (not really) (then again, who can fathom the consequences of garlic-skimping?)

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